Autom



G. A. LYON. AUTOMOBILE BUFFER. APPLICATION FILED Jumps, 1919.

Patented Dec. 23,1919.

25 apart.

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specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 23., 1919.

Application filed June 3, 1919. Serial No. emcee.

To all whom it may concern I Be it knownthat I, Geonon ALBERT LYoN, a citizen of the UnitedfStates, and resident of Philadelphia, county oi Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have made a oertain' new and useful Invention. Relating to Automobile-Butters, of which. the following is a specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawin silient strip buffers particularly adapted for use on the rear of automobiles and arranged a for clamping'connection with the rear elliptic or other springs thereof. The buffer may comprise-one or more vertically rigid horizontally yielding members or strips of tempered spring steel or other suitable material and by using a pair of such spring strip members their cooperating; impact receiving and form a doubled reiniorcement at this part of the buffer that the halter width may be readily adjusted to suit automobiles having springslo *atedat dijtlerent distances The buffer. may be provided with open end loops which may extend outwardly and forwardly from the doubled impact re ceiving inemherof the rear buffer and the clamping device preferably of resilient spring Strip, may have one or more of its members integrally or detachably connected to these attaching or connecting members of the buffer. The clamps may have gripping jaws provided with angnlarly disposed springs or other parts of the automobile on opposite edgesand clamping bolts extend ing through the clamping): armsadja'cent the jaws may resiliently force the jaws together to insure a reliable and secure connection of the butter to the automobile.

In the accompanying drawings showing in a somewhat diagrammatic Way illust': tiyeembodinlents of this invention,

Figure l is aoplan \lB'W oi? the buiicr as applied to the rearsprings of an automobile. Fig. 2- 'is an enlarged section through the clamping portion of the buffer. 7 i Fig. 8 is a plan View showing another to form of buffer clampled upon illfitlllllOIHOllllG springs; and a Fig. 4; is ancnlarged section of the clamping device therefon The butter may con'iprise two substantially to similar tempere spring steel strips which This invention relates especially to re portions may be arranged so as to overlap portions or grooves to engage the rearcounecl'ingr end 1* may be rendered substantially vertically rigid while horizontally yielding; in a resilient manner by giving the strips many, times as great vertical Width thicknessf Each of these strips which may be a quarter to to three cipghths of an inch thick and one and three-quarters to two and one-quarter inches wide. for instance, may be formed as shonn in Fig. 1 with a substantially straight impact receiving portion 4, 5 and these portrons may overlap each other at 3 to forma doubled reinforcing impact receiving member and correspondingly increase the resilient strcngtl i of the cent :11 part of the butter. These members may be adjustably connected and held in substantially vertically rigid relation by, any suitable connecting means, s h. as the frictionaliy gripping connel'rting clips :23 having. theho-il ing throna'h and drawin to gularly extended ends as is well linown in this art. The buii'er members a have the outwardly and angrularly extending open'end loops (i and the inwardly curved portion? which may teriuiinitc in a suitable Ml cinrnectingz or attaching: portion. ich as 8, which may 'liQlll'l s-snliistruitially para lel' strip ends in case the clann linn' devices are'l o be, adjustably connected thereto and by 001' k rcspondingly arranging the adjustable connci'tion of the inipmrt llllfelv'lllgi members or portions these connecting members may be at such distances apart as correspond to theuidth of the rcarsprings of the particular automobiloto whiclii the hu tler is to W be attached. i i

as shown more in detail in llig. E2, the

may be harmed with a rics oi" adjusting connecting holes or clots 9 10, Lil, which in the c of round holes may at be spaced apart at substantially equal distances correspoinling to the cooperating holes in the clamping: arms 12 37 through which may extend such. connecting bolts as p 18. 19 so as to tightlycounect these pai'fts lib necting end or clamping arms as much as several inches adjustment may be secured, if desired, and at the same time the clamping members may be securely connected to the buffer. These clamping members may in many cases be advantageously formed of similar resilient spring steel strip and n'ray be provided with integral gripping jaws having angularly disposed cooperating faces 14, 15 adjacent the ends 22 so that the vehicle spring may be engaged on its opposite edges in such way as to secure strong and reliable connection therewith when two such clamping jaws engage each of the springs. A clamping bolt 16 may be used to force these clamping jaws together and this bolt may be arranged in any convenient position adjacent the jaws so as to give the desired somewhat resilient clamping action thereto which is stronger of course the nearer the clamping bolt is arranged to the jaws. Such horizontally arranged V grooved clamping members of resilient material can secure a very desirable gripping engagement with automobile springs when forcibly engaging their opposite edges'and reliable connection may thus be readily secured with a minimum danger of weakening or cracking the springs. If desired, of course, the clamping jawsmay be forced together so tightly as to limit or practically prevent resilient yield of the inch or two of the rear springs which isinclosed within these gripping jaws and this of course minimizes working of the springs within the jaws under operating conditions and still further decreases the chances of slipping.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the clamping devices or members may comprise in each case a clamping jaw formed integral with the attaching or connecting end of the buffer strip and the cooperating clamping jaw may be formed on a generally similar but separate piece or strip of material either inside or outside of the integral jaw member and secured thereto by one or more clamping bolts, such as the bolt 33 and nut 34. This bolt may pass through a suitable hole or slot in the separate or detachable clamping member 27 which may be forn'ied adjacent its end 22.

with a V grooved jaw 14 to cooperate with the jaw portion 15 of the other clamping end 22 of the bufl'er member. This buffer member or connecting portion 28 may advantageously be formed with a transversely extending clamping alining portion 29 arranged substantially transversely across the buffer so as to be parallel to the front or central portion 3 of the impact receiving members and the detachable clamping member 27 may have a clamping arm or end 26 adapted to be alincd with this transverse portion 29 and be held thereto as by the connecting cli 30 which may have its bolt 32 extending t lrough the ends 31 of the clip which may be tightened after the connecting bolt 33 has been tightened to grip the automobile spring 1. In this way the symmetrical horizontal closing of the clamping jaws upon the opposite edges of the spring is promoted and a greater degree of rigidity secured because thespring strips 26 and 29 both contribute to support the buffer. The other automobile spring 2 may be similarly clamped by the clamping jaws formed in the cooperating clamping portions 29, 36 similarly clamped together by the clamping bolt 33 and nut 34 after which their transversely extending alining portions 29, 35, may be securely connected and held in position as by the clip 30.

This invention has been described in connection with a number of illustrative embodin'ients, forms, [)IOPOl'tiOllS, parts, ar-

'rangements, materials and methods of connection and use, to the details of which disclosure the invention is not of course to be limited, since what is claimed as new and what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is set forth, in the appended claims.

I claim- 1. The automobile buffer adapted to be attached to the rear elliptic springsof an automobile and consisting of two spring steel strips having greater vertical width than thickness to render them relatively rigid vertically while resiliently yielding in horizontal directions, said strips having adjustably connected impact receiving portions and each of said strips having an outwardly extending open end loop and a forwardly extending connection portion formed with a series of connecting holes and adapted to form parallel connecting strip members located at'adjustable distances apart to fit different automobiles, a plurality of resilient strip clamping members having substantially parallel arms and connecting bolts extending through said arms to adj ustably connect said clamping members to each of said connecting members, clamping jaws having V groove gripping portions on i said clamping members and a clamping bolt 'to close said clamping jaws horizontally against the opposite edges of the automobile spring.

2. The automobile buffer adapted to be attached to the rear elliptic springs of an automobile and consistinmof two strips having greater vertical width than thickness, said strips having adjustably connected impact receiving portions and each of said strips having a forwardly extending connection portion adapted to form parallel connecting strip members located at adjusts able distances'apart to fit different automobiles, a plurality of resilient strip clamping members having substantially parallel arms adjustably connected to said connecting members, and a clamping bolt to close said clamping members horizontally against the opposite edges of the automobile spring. 3. The automobile buffer adapted to be attached to the rear elliptic springs of an automobile and comprislng an impact receiving portion and forwardly extending substantially parallel connecting members formed with a series of connecting holes located at adjustable distances apart, a plnrality of resilient strip clamping members having substantially parallel arms and connecting bolt-s extending through said arms to adjustably connect said clamping members to:each of said connecting members and connected horizontally closing clamping jaws having angular gripping portions adapted to close against theopposite edges of tliefaiitomobile spring" 4; The automobilebufler adapted to be attached to the rear springs of an auto mobile and comprising an impact receiving portion and forwardly extending substan-- tially parallel connecting members, a plurality of resilient strip clamping members having substantially parallel arms and ad justably connected to said connecting members and connected horizontally closing clan'lping jaws hai ing angular gripping p01- tions ada 'ited to close against the opposite edges of the automobile spring.

5. The automobile bnfi'er adapted to be attached to the rear springs of an automobile and comprising an impact receiving springs. i

7. The automobile bufi'er adapted to be portion and eiiitending resilient stri.p eon nesting members, and cooperating resilient strip clamping members having angular.

gripping portions adapted to be clamped-- against the opposite edges of the automo and cooperating clamping members having gripping portions adapted to be clamped against the opposite edges of the automobile I attached .to the rear-elliptic springs of an automobile and havinrr an impact receiving portion and having adjacent each end-oi the buffer forwardly extending substantially parallel connecting clamping members formed with angular gripping portions and clamping bolts adapted to close said gripping portions against the opposite edges of the automobile springs.

8. The automobile buffer adapted to be attached to the rear elliptic springs of an automobile and having an impact receiving portion and having adjacent each end ofthe buffer extending connecting clamping'menr bers formed with angular gripping portions adapted to close against the opposite edges of the automobile springs.

; GEORGE ALBERT LYON. 

